Welcome! My hope is that my artworks will awaken, in you, the sense of life’s joys and possibilities which I feel as I create in my sun-filled studio in Washington DC. My artworks express my delight in seeking visual relationships and finding new connections within simple geometric shapes. The visual discovery of harmony and symmetry leads to my peace of mind. Then, I have a sense that there is, indeed, order and beauty in this seemingly chaotic world.
Among the artworks on this site you will find drawings created with the difficult and ancient medium of metalpoint. I became fascinated by drawing with metal when I was a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). My anatomy teacher, Paula Gerard, was a master of the technique. I remember holding my breath in awe as she gave us a drawing demonstration using a silver stylus on a prepared ground. The lines were beautiful. I have since explored my drawing ideas using sterling silver, gold, and platinum.
My paintings, drawings, and sculptural works have been exhibited in more than 235 solo or group shows devoted to regional, national, and international art. They have met with critical acclaim and awards. They are collected by museums, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, prints and drawings; the Brooklyn Museum of Art, artists' books; the Carnegie Museum of Art; Erie Museum of Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, artists' books; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, artists’ books, Madrid Spain; National Gallery of Art (Washington DC), artists' books; National Museum of Women and the Arts, artists' books; Smithsonian Museum of American Art Library; Museum of Modern Art (NYC), artists' books; Tate Britain, artists' books; and the V & A Museum, National Art Library as well as private collectors.
Corporations who own my artworks include: American Federation of Teachers, Capital One Bank; Chicago Board of Trade, Deloitte; Dominion Bank; Encyclopedia Britannica; Hart, Schaffner and Marx; HealthSouth; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; IBM; Rockwell Industries and Pittsburgh Corning. Academic institutions who have collected my work include: Yale University, Harvard University, Carnegie Mellon University, SCAD (the Savannah College of Art and Design), Smith College, SAIC (the School of the Art Institute of Chicago), and RISD (the Rhode Island School of Design). I am a pioneer in the genre of digital artists' books.
I published "Welcoming Beauty 2" in 2019. The book contains over 50 pages of my writings, paintings, and drawings about various aspects of Beauty. I wrote about spiritual themes such as hope, compassion, love, and more. My drawings are inspired by ancient Sacred Cut geometry, which I fully describe in the book. It can be downloaded from the Apple App Store to an iPhone, iPad, or a Mac computer.
I earned degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (B.F.A.), Carnegie Mellon University (B.A.), and Case Western Reserve University (M.S.). I have been a visiting artist at Wellesley College and George Mason University.
Additional biographical information may be found in Who’s Who in American Art. For my resume, CV, or other information, please contact me using CONTACT on the navigation bar above.
My price range is from $800 to $5,000 (USD).
For more than 30 years, I have happily participated in activities devoted to the fascinating subject of Mathematics & Art. In my studio work, I am currently absorbed with the research and creation of surface pattern designs.
I have given talks at international conferences about the connections between geometry and my art. In January, 2017, I presented a talk at the Joint Mathematics Meetings ( JMM ) titled “Turning the Corner: Symmetry, Botanical Art, and Metalpoint Drawing”. For the abstract, I wrote 'Line groups, or frieze patterns, can be used to create aesthetically pleasing borders in graphic designs, carpets, quilts and other planar art forms. Special consideration must be given to the corners if one also wants the border to have a planar symmetry. This talk presents ways for linear repeat patterns to turn the corner for 2-D applications. I utilize this methodology in my original metalpoint drawings. This allows me to combine linear and planar symmetries, Renaissance metalpoint drawing techniques, and botanical subject matter to create aesthetically pleasing drawings. Examples of my botanical art will demonstrate all seven line groups. '
My published writings include “A Process for Generating 2-D Paintings and Drawings from Geometric Diagrams” in the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts. Papers titled “Curved Plane Sculpture: Squares” and “Curved Plane Sculpture: Triangles” are published in Proceedings of conferences of the International Society of Art, Mathematics, and Architecture ( ISAMA ). “Hyperseeing on a Two-Dimensional Plane” was published in 'Hyperseeing'. In 2020, "Contemporary Art Inspired by Geometry" was published in The Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, v. 14:1-2, pp. 164-166.
My 2-D and 3-D artworks have been shown in juried international exhibitions of mathematical art at Bridges, JMM, ISAMA, and other venues.
I served as the coordinator, the moderator, and a speaker at a seminar, “On Symmetry: Seeking Order in the Universe”, at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. I also served for five years on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Mathematics and Art, published by Taylor & Francis, as an Associate Editor and peer reviewer.
"But the best and subtlest touch belongs to Elizabeth Whiteley, whose standout basswood architectural model, ‘Screen for Grasses’, resembles a very pared-down design by Frank Lloyd Wright—an architect whose affection for Japanese architecture was written all over his work." Kriston Capps, art critic, Washington City Paper
“Her highly organized works are decorative in the best sense of that word, handsome islands of order in a city, Washington, where the everyday experience of disorder can easily be overwhelming.” David Carrier, international art critic, Residency at Maryland Art Place, Critic’s Commentary.
“Grids fold and collapse into themselves moving between volume and transparency.” Ryan Hill, Hirshhorn Museum educator, Juror Exhibition Commentary.
"The mixture of whimsy and mathematics in Elizabeth Whiteley’s drawing, ”Geometric Screen 2”, is visually exciting." Dr. Claudia Rousseau, art critic, Rockville Gazette
“The interplay of the natural forms enlivened by color, with the abstract one, creates a cheerful and lively note.” Terry Parmelee, art critic, EyeWash
“Elizabeth Whiteley’s art is mathematically oriented and it also indicates a Japanese influence.” Sherry Sundick, art critic, Northwest Current.
“She composes the random natural world to make a new, exquisitely crafted order.” Phyllis Jacobs, art critic, KOAN
“It’s the dance of the wind through ‘Kites & Darts’ that brings this gathering of curious, fluttering forms to life.” Mary McCoy, Adkins Arboretum, Curator's Exhibiton Commentary.
“Elizabeth Whiteley’s ‘Flow Rising’ and ‘Mountains 5’ reference architectural structure and its mathematical issues.” Dr. Claudia Rousseau, curator, Exhibition Catalog Essay.
